Three Rams Named Among Candidates for Hall of Fame Induction

Just three weeks before the NFL will announce its newest crop of Hall of Fame inductees, the field candidates was trimmed to 15 on Friday, with three Rams among remaining field—defense end Kevin Greene, defensive back Aeneas Williams and running back Jerome Bettis.

Both Greene and Bettis began their careers with the Rams, and immediately established themselves among the best at their position in their era. Greene played the first eight seasons of a 15-year career with the Rams, which included consecutive seasons of 16.5 sacks in 1988-89. That mark stood as the team’s single-season record until 1999, when Kevin Carter registered 17 sacks. Greene retired in 1999 with 160 career sacks, which ranks third all-time. The only two players ahead of Greene on the all-time list—Bruce Smith (200) and Reggie White (198)—have already been inducted in Canton.

Bettis’ 1,429 rushing yards in 1993 were the second-highest total ever for a Rams rookie. He played the first three years of his 13-season career with the Rams, which included eight seasons of 1,000 or more rushing yards. Bettis was named to the Pro Bowl six times, including two All-Pro selections. Bettis concluded his career in 2005 in style, leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Lombardi Trophy, the only Super Bowl title of his career.

Williams joined the Rams in 2001 following a 10-year tenure with the Arizona Cardinals, where he asserted himself as one of the league’s premier cover corners. In his four seasons with the Rams, Williams tallied nine interceptions while splitting time between safety and cornerback. Despite missing much of the 2001 season due to injury, Williams grabbed four interceptions and forced a fumble in three regular season games, before helping the Rams to their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons. Williams was an eight-time Pro Bowler, including twice with St. Louis.